Sunday, June 10, 2018

Amazon gift card and multicultural author K.S. Ruff

Ask anyone who knows K.S. Ruff and they’ll tell you she was dead set on being a lawyer when she was in high school. In fact, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies and started out writing Supreme Court briefs.

Later in life, K.S. joined not one but two book clubs, which she fondly refers to as her “good girl book club” and “bad girl book club.” She was reading two novels a week - mystery, young adult, historical fiction, romance, and paranormal romance.

Then one night, in the middle of a romance novel, K.S. just up and decided to write. She's several novels in and loving it! She's always been a writer, although her writing has certainly run the gamut from Supreme Court briefs, government reports, legislation, journal articles, a children’s book, and now romance novels.

K.S is hoping to linger here – in romance – for a while and looks forward to sharing her next few books with you.

The Broken Road is the debut novel from K.S. Ruff and the first book in the Broken Series.

“I’m not kissing you to get it over with. When I kiss you for the first time, you’re going to want that kiss more than your next breath.”

Montana girl Kristine Stone was strong enough to break out of an abusive marriage, but is she strong enough for the road that lies ahead? For the first time in her life, Kristine finds she has some control over her life. Haunted by her ex-husband and a newly acquired stalker, she leaves Montana to work in the U.S. Senate. Kristine issues a moratorium on dating.

This hardly deters Kadyn Rand, the Air Force Captain who threatens to tear down every wall she’s ever built. Still, someone from her dark past refuses to be ignored, and Kristine finds herself in yet another fight for her life.

Tall, dark, and determined are the words that best describe Kadyn Rand. He is too stoic to be swept away by much of anything, but a vulnerable woman from Montana manages to do just that when she finds herself alone and in danger in DC. Kadyn is intelligent, resourceful, and a fiercely devoted friend. His sense of humor runs on the sarcastic side. He’s also the kind of guy who likes to keep people guessing about what’s going on inside his head, which is why he makes a conscious effort not to smile.

That is until he meets Kristine Stone. Her missteps regularly get a smile out of him. Her moratorium on dating intrigues him, while her vulnerability calls to his protective side. Kadyn tries to earn Kristine’s love and her trust but soon learns it will take much more than that to save her from her past.

What inspires you to write?At first, it was the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction moments I’ve experienced in my life. For example… having some mysterious man from another country propose on the third date, who then devolves into a stalker, tracking me across the country, through several career moves, for three years. Despite a restraining order. Or… being forced to do shots with the Russian Mafia while attending a government function in Crimea. Apparently, you don’t decline a drink from the Russian Mafia. Ever. If you do, they’ll drag you over to their table and ensure you drink a vodka shot… or two… or three… or six.

But then? I discovered some common threads. I’m inspired by tragic, heart-wrenching, and sometimes terrifying events. Whether it is the wounded warrior struggling with PTSD, the woman who escapes an abusive marriage, the orphans victimized by an international pedophile ring in Portugal, or the couple caught in a shoot-out between the drug cartels in Mexico, I weave these real world experiences into my romantic suspense novels because I’ve discovered there are some incredibly resilient people who have survived these experiences… people who take these experiences and transform them into something good. These people inspire my sometimes broken but always heroic characters who seek to right the wrongs in this world.

How long does it take you to write a book, on average?A book can take me anywhere from six months to a year to write, depending on the novel and the number of university courses I’m teaching at the time. Like most authors, I’m juggling two careers and a family. Hence, my addiction to coffee, and chocolate, and nocturnal writing.

What are you working on right now?I’m working on a tween fantasy novel steeped in Celtic Mythology entitled Saving Tír na nÓg, which will be released in early July. The story involves three young girls who represent faith, hope, and love. They serve as the counterbalance for Dain, Dother, and Dub, the black-winged Sidhe who incite violence, evil, and darkness in the human realm. I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated when I first began, but I’ve discovered I thoroughly enjoy world building, magick, dragons, druids, and kelpies. Still, I’m not walking away from romance. I plan to write another romantic suspense novel, a spin-off story for The Broken series, over the summer. This story will be based in part on the 2016 military coup in Turkey.

What's the best writing tip you can offer?Walk away. Seriously, walk away. If you’ve been staring at that page for three hours, rewriting that same sentence over and over again, please just walk away. Give your brain a break. Go do something with your kids. Snuggle with your dog. Read a book. Go for a walk. Then, come back with fresh eyes and a fresh mind. That’s easier said than done, I know. But, trust me, that scene will work itself out. Often, the solution will present itself while you are away from your computer, when you are no longer growling at the screen. If it doesn’t, then find some place quiet and let the scene play like a movie inside your mind. Ask yourself, “How are these characters feeling right now, in this moment?” Step back and weigh those emotions. Is your protagonist bored? Giddy? Anxious? Worried? Afraid? Does her face, her hands, her voice, her feet convey that? How should your supporting characters react? How would they be feeling in that situation? Protective? Frustrated? Angry? Amused? Do their actions reflect that? How do you want your reader to feel in that moment? Focus on the emotions, and those actions, your narrative, and the dialogue will sort themselves out.

What's a book written by another author everyone should read in their lifetime?That’s easy. Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. It’s one of my favorite books. It’s the only novel I’ve read five times. The story was so engaging I mourned the loss of those characters when the All Souls trilogy ended. I’m anxiously awaiting two spin-off books in the series; Time’s Convert and The Serpent’s Mirror. Last I heard, both were scheduled to be released in September. I will NOT be writing that month. I may flee the country just so I can hole up somewhere and thoroughly immerse myself in those stories.

So who wants to win something?!

K.S. Ruff and I have partnered up to give away a couple items - one lucky Giveaway Guy reader will win a paperback of The Broken Road and another reader will win a $20 Amazon gift card.

This giveaway is open to users in the U.S. only. Two winners will be randomly selected via Rafflecopter, which I will contact by email after entries are verified. The winners will have 24 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be selected.